Inside the New York Yankees clubhouse with MLB.com beat writer Bryan Hoch.

Hit me with your best shot

A few quick hits…

– Looks like the Red Sox finally decided to jump in on Mark Teixeira, joining the Nationals and Angels in offering him an eight-year contract. Brian Cashman said emphatically last week in Las Vegas that he had not offered Teixeira a contract, but yesterday would not comment on if the Yankees are any closer to doing so. Teixeira in pinstripes still seems like a long shot to me, but they’ll remain engaged.

– CC Sabathia is in town to take his physical and a press conference is likely to be scheduled for Thursday at the old Yankee Stadium. It’s possible A.J. Burnett could be involved as well.

– The Mike Cameron for Melky Cabrera swap is on hold, as Cashman did not speak to Brewers GM Doug Melvin on Monday. Various reports state the holdup may be the amount of cash considerations changing hands if Kei Igawa or Bill Hall wind up being included.

– The Yankees have no doubt that other teams are sniffing around on Andy Pettitte. They still believe that Pettitte wants to pitch for them and want him as well, but there will need to be some financial bending on Pettitte’s side to make it happen.

Right, the Yankees didn’t pay all of Pudge’s deal, but right there is $88 million in free agents.

This doesn’t account for backloading of contracts, but the annual average of Sabathia’s deal is $23M; A.J. Burnett’s is $16.5M. Damaso Marte was re-signed for $3.5M next year, and Nick Swisher will make $5.3M. That’s $48.3M (corrected – see, told you it wasn’t my best), with Pettitte still left to be re-signed and more moves – Cameron? Teixeira? Manny? – to be made.

– My TiVo alerted me last night that I have a new channel: The MLB Network. Check your local listings. They go live on 1/1/09, with their first day of programming highlighted by Don Larsen’s perfect game.

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35 Comments

MLB reporting RedSox closing in on signing Tex for 180mil 8years. Meanwhile Dumb & Dumber (Hal & Hank) have done a reach around Cashman and are targeting (perhaps?) Manny. The 36 year old left fielder for 75mil 3year. This is one of the most frustrating (for me and many loyal Yankees fans) events in Yankee history. Sign two guys for $243,000,000, and sign our new hope for our offense “Swisher” and think with 2 pitchers we’ll be back in the playoffs? Shame on you if you don’t consider jumping in on obtaining Tex a great bat with a gold glove to go with it. Batting him between Jeter & A Rod. Now you have possibly?(If Manny is dumb enough to come here!) 3 right handed bats, right in the middle of the lineup? Abreu and Giambi’s bats are also gone. Posada? a huge?? Oh yeah! There’s Matsui and Cano!!!. I hope I’m dead wrong, been a Yanks fan since Joe D, thru #7, lived #15 and I was sorry we didn’t pick #23 for manager. Good luck in 09.

p.s. George would NEVER let Boston sign a player like Tex without given a run at him!!! A sorry Yankees fan.

devil’s Advocate here:
Blosux bidding to drive the price of Tex up making the Yanks blow a serious wad + years for Tex.
Blosux bring Manny back for Big Poopi’s #s. I like Bay but he and Drew are no Manny.

The worse part about Manny is that we would have 3 left fielders. This is a bad idea. Can we please spend the money on someone else. Doesn’t have to be Tex, give 12 mil to Pettite and 10 mil a year to some other batter(preferably not Cameron). But do anything, anything, except sign Manny.

3 years from now, we will be stuck with a cranky, arrogant, declining 39 year old pure DH who will be off being Manny. And I don’t want to harp, but even an 8 year contract to Teix will expire when he is 37.

It sickens me to hear the front office gush about Manny. He’s a cancer that this team doesn’t need. Unlike other players, he won’t wilt under the NY spotlight, he just won’t show up. Imagine for a moment, Manny is “being Manny” for a couple of games, getting the ire of the fans up. Then, one game, his name is left out of the bleacher creatures lineup call out? Am I the only one that sees it?

As per the above message. Ugh. Yeah, he can hit – when he feels like it. But he’s a clown. I hope it doesn’t work out. If it does, he better be on his best behavior during his time in NY.
What will become of Matsui then? I really hope that no one gets a wild idea about shopping Nady. That is a TERRIBLE idea. This just has all kinds of awkwardness steaming off of it.
UGH!

Hal and Hank are going around Cashman on this one, apparently. Always a brilliant idea. After all, why sign a Gold Glove 1st baseman, when we can have a poor fielding LF who is 7 years older for a higher average salary. It’s not like we already have a load of veterans fighting for the DH spot and a chunk of salary coming of the books in the next 3 years to pay for a long term deal for Teix.

Texeira yes, but the Yankees I don’t think will be able to go as high as the other suitors. Manny no, as much as we’ll have Damon and Matsui coming off the books after 2009, chances are either Matt Holiday or Rick Ankiel will warrant serious free agent consideration if they’re available.

The Yankees have no less than $26 mil/yr. coming off their books at the end of this season, with both Matsui and Damon’s contracts coming off the books. Add in Molina’s $2 mil/yr. and we’re already at $28 mil/yr. The Yankees also have about a $40mil. difference from the players that have left and players that are joining this season. If this team is set to lose another significant chunk of money off of their payroll after this coming season, why not try to go all out this season. Sign Teixeira! He will provide stability at 1B, as well as superb offensive production as well as phenomenal defense. This hasn’t been part of the Yankees since the departure of Tino Martinez. No offense to Giambi, but he isn’t the complete package 1B like the Yankees have historically had (Gehrig, Mattingly, Martinez just to name a few). Teixeira brings gold glove defense, a strong character, and an offensive superstar. He’s a switch-hitter than can hit for power from both sides of the plate, as well as hit for avg. He would provide huge protection for A-rod and would do more than make up for the loss of production from Giambi and Abreu. This signing would also give the Yankees a stronger bench then they have had in recent seasons, adding Swisher over Betemit was a very solid upgrade.
We all know that the Yankees have SIGNIFICANTLY improved the starting rotation (on paper at least) as well as kept the bullpen intact (a strength in 2008). If the Yankees can sign Andy Pettitte for a 1yr. contract (worth somewhere between $11.5-$13mil) they would have one of the best rotations in baseball in quite sometime. Now if they could put up a better defensive team out there than they had last season (which Teixeira would be a HUGE part of), maybe they’ll be playing in the World Series.

Cashman and Hank really need to look over this Yankee lineup for 09. You signed 2 pitchers (over paid them in my opinion ) and have totally ignored the offense. Aging and we lost Abreu’s bat and Giambi’s. Posada is a giant ? Matsui? Swisher?? Are the Yankees out of the Tex run because you over paid (243,000,000) for 2 pictures? I and many of us fans out here love to have Tex on board and playing 1st, batting 3rd. between Jeter and A Rod. Tex is 28.. Manny is a great hitter, but he’s 36! Do we need his drama? What should we sign him for ? 3/4years,87/90mil? Right!!! With A Rod and Tex, this team can start moving toward youth. The next 2/3 years will be interesting. Jeter will be 37/38. Manny 38/39. Can’t figure the outfield yet, Cameron would be 37 (1year) Matsui 37.Damon 36.. Lets start thinking a little more toward youth. FORGET ABOUT MANNY. Let Andy go back to Houston or the REDSOCKS! who cares! His best days are behind him and he wants top $$$. Sheets is younger..Don’t give up on Hughs. Let him pitch long relief for 1/2 the season. My vote (again) is for us signing TEX!!!

I know that I am just playing the same song on the same fiddle, but I still maintain that bringing Abreu back is a viable option. I said before all of the Free Agent pageantry that Teixera would not end up in New York. Now don’t get me wrong I think he is a tremendous player and will make any team that he signs with ultimately better, but I just don’t see him and the Yankees coming to terms with a deal.

I’d LOVE to see him end up on the Nationals. Not having him in Boston, Anaheim, or Baltimore would be quite nice.

Let’s say we deal Matsui and Igawa to a NL West team or Seattle for peanuts and prospects and eat part of the contracts. In the long term, the budget would end up lighter.

Remember, a large chunk of change was dumped already and consequently scooped back up. Bryan did the math for us.

Then pick up Abreu for 3 years. You have Nady switching between LF and RF, Melky/Gardner competing at CF, Damon in LF, Abreu in RF and Nady/Abreu/Damon able to platoon on DH.

I also have a good gut feeling on the addition of Swisher to the team. He will have a low expectation and low pressure, which I think more Yankee players need. I think he will do well. I HOPE that he does well.

How is Willy Taveras as a CF defensively? The Rockies non tendered him Friday; so, he is a FA. While he is a “Punch and Judy” .250 – .280 hitter, he had an eye opening 68 stolen bases in 2008. And he is only 26 years old. Might he be a better low cost answer than Cameron ($10 M), with a higher potential ceiling than Gardner or Cabrera?

These questions seem to me as hesitation on the part of the Yankees and I see this deal falling apart soon. It was the smart thing to do.

The ten million dollars could go to a guy like Mark Teixeira or Manny Ramirez… and if signing one of those impact bats fails, they could use it towards bringing a guy like Pettitte back or piling it on a 15- 16 MM salary for a Sheets or Lowe or… I’ve heard even Penny and Wolfe are being considered as well.

In other words, we’ve got a lot of work to do now on the offensive side, and I think this week is being used to create a game plan to go forward with. Go hard after a bat or pitcher; Trade for Cameron if all else fails.

Seriously though, .242 and 142 Ks a year at the age of 37? What the heck!? Keep Gardner or Melky for that matter. I wonder what Cashman was thinking on this proposal.

With the Phillies out of the equation, and the Yankees having already signed CC and AJ, Lowe is going to have to cut back his demands. These were the only two teams that were that interested to begin with.

What does everyone think Lowe is going to get? I say 2 years, 30-35mil. Maybe if he plays his cards right, he’ll get 3. But K-Rod only got 37 million, so clearly everyone not called the Yankees are tightening their belts.

Just had a long day that started with a 9am Math lecture. So I figure I’ll take a break, and read Bombers Beat, and I find math discussions. LOL. What is the world coming to?

Teix would be great. But with the Sox also going 8 years along with the Angels, it seems we won’t get him. By the end of that contract we would be overpaying (see Giambi). Hopefully Cashman doesn’t give up on him though, at least make the BoSox overpay. They have done it to us enough times.

I still would like to see some depth signings. A strong bench is key, because people are going to get hurt, and we want to limit the drop off in those cases. Remember last year when we lost A Rod for 3 weeks, and our backup was Betemit? Some strong role players could add up to a real positive impact through the season.

Also, I like Andy, but 3 years is insane. Someone wants to give him that 36mil, so be it. It has to be a 1 year deal for 11, maybe 12 mil tops.

The Yanks seriously need Tex. We all know that. I agree Jane that our team still has a lot of holes to fill. This is the OF so far Nady-LF, Gardner-CF, & Melky-RF? Damon & Godzilla will thumb wrestle for DH. The list goes on….

I hate to repeat myself, but unless Cashman pulls a December Surprise, I’m beginning to think he’s O.K. with our offense. Who’s in the lineup to protect A-Rod with Abreu gone and Matsui and Jorge coming off injuries? Will Swisher really rebound from his awful ’08 season? Will Cano bounce back? Lots of question marks that could be answered with Tex.

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